"They could just as easily have been 11-0. They lost their opener to Juniata, and we all know how openers are. And they lost a close game at the end to Johns Hopkins. I picked them first in my preseason picks for the league."

So errant were Muhlenberg's scorers that no player with more than two shots hit for 50 percent accuracy from the field. Lauren Boyle, averaging 15.9 points, moved well with and without the ball, but she shot just 6-for-16 against a swarming defense.

Center Meghan Courtney, averaging 15.7 ppg, shot 4-for-11.

Everything seemed to fit right for the visitors, however.

McDaniel, playing without one injured starter, received a game-high 11 points from senior Katy Powell, just returning from an injury herself.

McDaniel shot 48 percent in the second half, with many points coming on transition baskets.

Said Rohn, "To be honest with you, we haven't been playing that well since we came back from the break.

"We have to get back in and work harder and keep getting better."

The Mules' point guards played despite a team-wide attack of the flu this week. Freshman Brenna Ferster, a Pius X product, battled through it, but the more experienced Terrors created just that.

"We're a little down right now," Ferster said, "but we'll get it back. This was just one of those games. We weren't hitting the shots we normally make."

In the first half alone, Muhlenberg missed five layups.

With a trip to Johns Hopkins looming Saturday, the Mules must respond quickly. They follow that with a home game against Ursinus, a .500 team, on Wednesday.

While the Mules did well to streak to a 12-0 start, they don't believe they have come close to their potential.

The young roster features two key seniors and two key juniors who play a lot of minutes. They were as surprised as most to be one of seven teams left in Division III with unbeaten records. They also knew their 22-game home winning streak couldn't last forever. McDaniel split with the Mules last year and always plays them well.

Muhlenberg sees a lot of itself in McDaniel, and vice versa.

"They play a similar style to us," said freshman guard Ali Moreland. "We both play a lot of people, and really get after it on defense."

If it weren't for Muhlenberg, McDaniel would now own a 17-game road winning streak. Within that stretch, Muhlenberg has twice downed the Terrors in Allentown.